Bio

"Started my career back in 2007 at a local pub, then moved onto cocktail bars in Manchester
Airport before heading into restaurants in Knutsford, where I became Bar Manager then
General Manager.

Moved to Greene King and became Assistant General Manager for an American franchise restaurant before creating my own brand agency, Drinks Enthusiast, in 2011 and working with Northern Restaurant and Bar trade show.

Since then I’ve gained Emporia Brands, Langley’s Gin, Warner Edwards Gin, Double Dutch Mixers and Rhum St Barth as clients, written for numerous publications including Imbibe and CLASS, opened a spirit specialist shop in South Manchester called Riddles Emporium and came 3 rd in the IWSC Independent Spirit Retailer within its first year. I then created Manchester Rum Festival, the city’s first rum festival, an Italian café pop-up with PizzaExpress in Manchester named Bassano Bar, and recently opened my own Caribbean inspired bar Marigot Bay Bar and Café in South Manchester.

Your claim to fame?

Once had David Beckham ‘like’ my Instagram post.

Q & A

What do you as a mixologist think about beer? Any brews of note for you?
Some tasty stuff out there, I’m a stout and porter lover so anything from Guinness to Innis & Gunn and Robinson’s Old Tom will do me just fine.

If you could offer a couple of short pieces of advice to the average bartender, what would they be?
Read as much as you can on the industry and attend as many seminars, tastings and masterclasses to expand your knowledge. Most importantly though, watch everything that happens in a bar, and critique in your mind why and how they’re doing it compared to the last place.

Surely you have some pet peeves about bartenders -- care to share?
Lack of awareness. You walk into a bar and an acknowledgement should be given by at least one bartender on shift, instead most seem to have tunnel vision. It’s frustrating how you think you seem to be interrupting them just to order a drink.

As a mixologist/consultant, you work directly with many restaurants on their drink menus -- describe the parts of this process.
To understand their customer base, what drinks have worked in the past, the direction they wish to go in and the targets to aim for. Then look at what is available to use and work from an elimination process on suitability, consistency and to an extent, trends.

How did you get started?
A Christmas temp job in a local pub. It opened more options when I didn’t know what to do as a kid once I left. Never looked back.

How were you trained in bartending?
Self-taught, although I watched the skills of many bartenders to see how they did it, and incorporated my own style.

Did you take any courses?
NVQ’s in hospitality when I worked for Greene King.

What are some trends you're seeing in the market?
Rum is getting huge, as is more niche categories such as Armagnac, Aquavit, Mastiha and Vermouth.

What's your process for creating a new cocktail? And what inspired you in the first place?
I don’t really have a set way of creating a cocktail, but it usually depends on the flavour and aroma of the base spirit, then develop from their depending on what I need it for.

What is your favourite cocktail To make?
Cause for Concern, aka the Chairman’s Spiced Negroni.